An unofficial guide to Yamaguchi Prefecture and its nihonshu
On January 19, I was finally able to get a sake tasting class together, after two failed attempts last fall. 6 drinkers gathered at Kokushu 国酒 in Shunan, Yamaguchi, where we tried a total of for sakes, before going on a tour of nearby Hatsumomiji Shuzo. Kokushu is a sake specialty izakaya with a great... Continue Reading →
In a recent wander around the shopping streets surrounding Tokuyama Station, I found what you might actually call my holy land: a new bar dedicated (almost) solely to sake. Kokushu (͡國酒) opened in March of this year and offers pretty much one thing: All you can drink nihonshu (they do have a little machine dispensing... Continue Reading →
Saturday, October 27th was Shunan city's 2nd annual Jizake Yokocho local sake Fair. 16 sakagura from all over Yamagata were there offering their wares, including some rarities I've never seen anywhere locally. A group of friends and I went to give our lovers a workout, and it was pure fun. None of the kura were... Continue Reading →
One of the tricky things about taking all these classes and doing all this "official" sake study is that people expect me to know how to recommend and pair sake to food. That's kind of hard at this point, mainly because I have no idea what works without trying it. There are certain points on... Continue Reading →
This brew comes from Nagayama Honke Shuzojo in Ube, Yamaguchi. Their normal label is Taka, but for this special product, available only through Yamaguchi Liquor Space Taiyo shops, they use the special name Takaharu. They also use a paper outer wrapper for extra snazz! This sake grew on me. The first couple of cups were... Continue Reading →
Yamaguchi Sake 